A Series of Regrettable Events
by Miss Singing in the Rain
Summary: With the Batman gone and Gotham still recovering, it's up to Jenna Dawes, John Blake, and the Birds of Prey to return their city to its former glory. However, in the wake of Bane and Talia al Ghul's revolution and release of the Blackgate prisoners, organized crime has made its way back onto the streets, leading to yet another series of remarkable, and regrettable, events.
1. Batman Reborn

**A/N: IT'S HERE! SOUND THE TRUMPETS BANG THE DRUMS THE LONG OVERDUE SEQUEL TO "A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS" IS FINALLY HERE! Ok, now that we've got that out of the way, I want to tell you how things are going to work. The vigilantes currently at play in Gotham are Black Canary (Dinah Lance), Flamebird (Bette Kane), Huntress (Helena Bertinelli), Batgirl (Jenna Dawes (my OC) and occasionally Barbara Gordon (who only fills in for Jenna due to not having finished her training or high school), and Batman (reborn as Robin John Blake). **

**Also, there are a few recastings of characters: I originally had Britt Robertson as Bette Kane and Kaya Scodelario as Helena Bertinelli, but I've decided to change the actors. Amanda Seyfried will now portray Bette Kane, Mila Kunis will be Helena Bertinelli, Emma Stone will be Barbara Gordon, and Evan Rachel Wood will be Dinah Lance. There will be plenty of new characters and some characters who were introduced in "A Series of Unfortunate Events".**

**A word of warning, if you have not read "A Series of Unfortunate Events," I'll try to fill in the blanks, but it might make it easier to understand if you read it. There are going to be around thirty chapters in this story, give or take a few, including 7 chapters that are going to take place in between the first and second chapters of the trilogy. Those seven chapters are going to feature several villains in Batman's Rogues Gallery that were not in the movies and I could not fit into the trilogy, but I wanted to try my hand at Nolanizing them. Anyway, sit back, relax, enjoy the story, and please fell free to follow, favorite, and/or review!**

Batman Reborn

"_I__ win again," a man with black hair in his thirties declared as he collected up the fake money from his son, who was grinning broadly in spite of his defeat._

"_You're really good at this dad!" the boy exclaimed and his father's smile faltered ever so slightly._

"_In games sure. I don't have much talent with these things in real life I'm afraid," the man admitted. He looked at the game and shook his head. "Hey, do you think we could watch a movie now?" The boy smiled._

"_Sure! I'll get the popcorn ready." The kid shot off like a rocket and soon the sounds and smells of buttered popcorn popping filled the small apartment. However, a loud knocking interrupted the duo's entertainment._

"_Blake! Open up!" a gruff voice shouted and the father stiffened._

"_Robin, go hide," he murmured to his son._

"_Dad–"_

"_Now!" Blake ordered and his son, reluctantly, got into the kitchen cabinet, peeking at his father through the crack. The door suddenly burst open and several men with guns entered and surrounded the older man._

"_Where's our money Blake?" the leader asked. He was a rather large man, with thin black hair that was somewhat receding._

"_Look, Zucco, I'll get it to you, I just need a little more–"_

"_Time? We already gave you time and lots of it," Zucco stated, cocking his gun and aiming it at the man._

"_Please, guys, we can work out deal, can't we just ta–" __**BANG! **__The little boy hiding in the cupboard jumped as the sharp crack of a gunshot echoed throughout the apartment, the noise of a body falling to the ground coming right after. The men quickly shuffled out of the apartment, blood now spreading over the white tile floor of the kitchen, while a boy named Robin trembled in the darkness, innocence lost._

* * *

Decades later, an adult Robin John Blake's opened his eyes, waking up from the memory he would never forget. He got out of the bed and made his way to the kitchen for coffee, knowing he wouldn't be sleeping again tonight. While he set about getting his morning energy, a voice interrupted his work.

"Bad dream?" the voice inquired and John Blake turned to see Jenna Dawes leaning in the doorway, in a black nightgown.

"No. Memory," John said and Jenna nodded in understanding.

"One of the main reasons I never sleep." John chuckled as Jenna moved into the kitchen.

"That and you're a vigilante by night, an assistant DA by day, and a girlfriend in between," he pointed out. Jenna smiled.

"That too," she admitted and kissed him on the lips. It had been eighteen months since their kiss in the Batcave and since then, they'd trained, fought (side by side and with each other), made up, and (since one month ago) lived together.

"What time is it?" John asked when they broke the kiss. Jenna checked her watch.

"6:48."

"Ugh," John groaned. "Why can't we sleep in on Saturday mornings like normal people?" Jenna chuckled.

"John, we're many things but normal… we act normal and we were normal as children. But other than that, it's a cover. And when you think about it normality itself is somewhat of an illusion." John gave her a look.

"Can't we leave the philosophy for after I've had my coffee?"

"Where's the fun in that?"

* * *

Two elevator doors opened and John and Jenna entered their private basement training facility, dressed in black training jumpsuits. "Where are they? They should've been here by now," John asked himself as he walked into the darkened basement. Jenna didn't reply, but followed him, noticing that some of the armor cases were raised from the floor. Drawing her kendo sword from her belt, Jenna blocked an attack from behind just as someone clad in black swung their own stick.

"Nice try Bette," Jenna told her attacker.

"Damn it!" the assailant cried and relaxed her stance, removing her cowl to reveal bird like blue eyes and blonde hair. "How do you do that?"

"I'm Batgirl remember, sneaking up on me might as well be equivalent to attempted suicide. Oh, and that goes for you guys too!" Jenna called out into the shadows and three more young women emerged from the shadows, taking off their cowls to reveal one blonde, one ginger, and a brunette. Jenna nodded. "Alright. Now that we're all here, are you all ready to begin?"

"Are you?" Dinah Lance challenged and Jenna smiled.

* * *

_Jenna's first session teaching all the people gathered had nerve racking for her to say the least. Sure, she'd faced Scarecrow, the Joker, and Bane, but these people were her allies and while she was the one leading them, she wanted to make sure they understood what she had to do because of her authority, and what they would have to give to be a part of this. Because of this, she found herself standing in front of her allies and partners, dressed in all black, waiting for her to speak._

"_You have all chosen to become what you are for different reasons. Some for justice." Jenna glanced at John. "Some for self fulfillment." Her gaze moved to Barbara, Bette, and Dinah. "And some to prevent others from feeling the pain you once felt." She stared for a moment at Helena. "But whatever your reasons, you have come to me for help, guidance, and training; All of which I can provide you… but for a cost. If you are to defend Gotham City, you cannot do it half-heartedly. You must give yourself to Gotham City entirely: body, mind, and soul. If you are to fight the innumerable masses, then you must become unstoppable, which means that no amount of torture, pain, or sorrow will ever break you. If you do not believe you can handle this, leave now and no one will think any less of you. But know this: stay and there is no turning back. Understood?"_

"_Yes ma'am."_

"_Good."_

* * *

And so she began instruction. Minding surroundings, deception and theatricality, taking on enemies that numbered far greater than your own, invisibility through patience and agility, balance, weapons, distractions, control of emotions, everything that Ra's al Ghul had taught the original Batman, who had in turn taught Jenna, though Jenna used altered methods in order to make death a less likely possibility, often substituting thin ice for rotting floor boards of Gotham's abandoned buildings. And Jenna couldn't help but think that she must be doing something right, because they'd all improved drastically since they'd begun, herself included. Which led to Jenna currently observing Dinah and Helena fighting on the mats, biting her lip as she made notes. _She's a lot like me when I was younger_, she remembered. _When I was younger and didn't know how to control my anger._ She frowned.

"Helena, you're wasting too much energy. At this rate Dinah will wear you out before you knock her down." Helena nodded and waited for Dinah to make her move. The blonde girl lunged, and Helena sidestepped, causing Black Canary to almost tumble over. "You're telegraphing Dinah. You have to center yourself." They both turned on her at that, incredulous.

"Who's side are you on?" they cried.

"Neither. I'm helping you both," she stated, but sighed and turned to watch Barbara and Bette practice with dummies when Dinah and Helena responded with glares they usually reserved for criminals. The blue-eyed blonde athlete was currently pummeling a punching bag, as Jenna moved toward her to give suggestions. "Bette, you need to use more than your kick boxing. The more forms you know, the better off you'll be," she advised. Bette nodded and went back to her practice. Jenna turned to watch Barbara who was currently practicing dodging shots in the closed off area using remote controlled guns that shot rubber bullets. The energetic red head punched and kicked and dodged the nearby guns and threw batarangs at the ones just out of reach. She straightened up once she'd stopped the last gun, looking at her surrogate sister expectantly as she checked the timer. "Three minutes and forty three seconds. Not bad." Barbara smiled. "For a dead girl." The smile slipped off.

"But I was quicker this time!" she exclaimed.

"Yes. You were. But dead is dead, whether in training or reality," Jenna pointed out. She reset the controls. "Again." Barbara slouched over to the starting point, sticking her tongue out at Jenna once the brunette's back was turned. The leader of the vigilantes took notice but did not respond, and instead looked toward the one who had improved the most out of anyone. John Blake was currently demolishing six different dummies at once, combining his fists, kicks, and batarangs to knock all of them down. Jenna nodded as the last dummy hit the floor at her feet.

"John, your execution needs more finesse. Brute force will only get you so far." John slumped and shook his head.

"Was the Batman this hard on you?" he panted.

"Oh no, he was much, much worse. Then again, compared to who trained him, he was teaching preschool," she said. The computer beeped and Jenna went over to check what it was. The others soon followed.

"Whatcha lookin' at?" Bette inquired, surveying the map of Gotham on Jenna's computer screen, covered in pinpoints.

"People have been going missing over the past week, and were found either died of heart failure or raving mad in the streets. Crane's the prime suspect."

"How do you know?" Helena questioned.

"It matches his MO. Plus I took blood samples from the ones still living and the chemical found in their blood is similar to his fear toxin."

"Similar, why not identical?" Dinah

"He's probably improved it by now. He has been working on it for over a decade," Jenna pointed out, motioning to the analysis of the toxin he used ten years ago to the new compound found in the victim's blood.

"Point taken. So what's the plan?" John asked. Jenna grinned.

"You'll see."

* * *

A man with a mustache and a single scar running down the side of his face stood on a street corner, lighting up a cigarette. He was a typical, average Joe. Nobody important. So imagine his surprise when a white van pulled up in front of him and a man with a gun grabbed him and pulled him inside.

"Hey, hey, what the hell are ya–" he shouted but was cut off by a cloud of gas in his face. He immediately started coughing, before sliding into unconsciousness.

"Done," the goon in the back said, pulling a gasmask away form his face. The man in front nodded.

"Back to the boss then," he stated and turned the car toward the Narrows.

* * *

The man who had picked up earlier was unceremoniously thrown into a cell in the ruins of old Arkham Asylum. He got up and tried to get through the door but it was closed on him before he could make it out. "Please Doctor Crane, you don't have to do this!" he shouted through the metal. A man in a ragged suit and burlap mask moved toward the door.

"The good doctor's not here right now. You'll have to deal with scarecrow today," he said before pressing button outside the door. The room flooded with gas, and the man inside began coughing, before screaming and thrashing in fear.

"AH! AH! THEY'RE ALL OVER ME! GET 'EM OFF! AH!"

"Fear of small creatures of some sort. Most likely bugs or arachnids," Scarecrow took notice.

"AH! WHERE ARE THEY COMIN' FROM? WHERE'S THE WEB?"

"Arachnophobia." Scarecrow sighed to himself. "Note to self: attempt to search more interesting patients with more intriguing and creative phobias for further study." He went over to the next cell and looked in on a man who looked like he was turning blue from lack of oxygen. "Mr. Winters. What's wrong? What do you see?" Scarecrow inquired.

"CAN'T BREATHE, CAN'T SWIM, CAN'T GET OUT!"

"Ah yes. Hydrophobia," he commented, looking through his notes. "I guess considering your sister drowned as a girl, you _would_ be afraid of the water." He moved toward the next cell but was interrupted by the lights going off.

"Sir, the power's out," a thug said, clambering downstairs.

"I'm aware. Go check the breaker." The thug nodded and headed off, Crane checking his weaponized gas emitter. "Looks as though the Bats or the Birds are here. They're early for their appointment but no matter. I'm sure I can squeeze them in." The Scarecrow quietly moved into his makeshift office and hid behind the corner, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He heard the sound of shouts, gunfire, and then silence. Footsteps soon echoed up the hall, and the sound of the fans activating followed (Scarecrow almost growled at that), as did the sound of the doors opening. The footsteps came closer, the door creaked open, and Scarecrow lunged only to have his wrist caught, get thrown against the wall, and fall to the ground. When his vision straightened out, the Batgirl was standing over him, foot on his wrist as she disabled his gas canisters. "It doesn't matter if you put me away. I'll get out eventually. I always do. And I'll go right back to experimenting as always too," he smirked as the Batgirl roughly unmasked and handcuffed him. She hesitated ever so slightly but the Scarecrow noticed. "How does it make you feel, to know that your work will never truly end, and that there will always be people like me to plague the dreams of your precious city's citizens? Does it make you depressed? Worried? Afraid?" She didn't reply anything, but moved toward his desk, surveyed the numerable papers, chemicals, and materials, before dumping it all to the floor. The former psychiatrist's smirk melted and his jaw almost dropped.

"What are you doing?" Scarecrow cried, struggling against his bonds.

"Making a bonfire," the Batgirl said, taking a Bunsen burner and holding it over

"That is my entire life's work!" he shouted. The Batgirl turned to him.

"Well, well Doctor Crane. Would that be anxiety I'm detecting? Possibly nervousness? Or even, dare I say it… fear?" The Scarecrow glared at the Batgirl in a way that likely would've made most men cower and whimper in fear. Batgirl didn't bat an eyelash. She just glared back. "Gotham isn't how it used to be, Doctor. Get used to it." With that Batgirl turned and left the Doctor handcuffed and fuming. She went down the hall and entered the cell of the man who had been grabbed off the street earlier that night.

"I'm glad that antidote worked," a disguised John Blake said, taking off the fake mustache and scar makeup.

"So am I," Batgirl muttered, handing him a ski mask to cover his face with until he could get his mask and suit from the Batmobile. "Are all the patients safe?" He nodded.

"Yeah. I gave them the antidote and a sedative. They should wake up soon when the police arrive." She nodded.

"Time to go then." With that, the two vigilantes vanished into the night.


	2. Meetings and Plans

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long. I planned on having it out by Labor Day but school hit me hard.**

Meetings and Plans

Jenna Dawes walked through the halls of the DA's office on Monday morning, black suit neat and briefcase organized, but yawning and a cup of black coffee burning the side of her hand.

"Busy night?" Jenna's Asian colleague from the DA's office Kathy Nelson asked as she passed, though it was more an observation and Jenna nodded in reply.

"Our little winged guardians caught Crane a few nights ago. Now, Ms. Grange doesn't want me to take the case for obvious reasons so –"

"I'll do it. It'll take more than a scrawny old Scarecrow to frighten me," a red headed young woman with a cane said.

"Becky Albright, I could kiss you right now. But still, be careful about him, he's called the Master of Fear for a reason." Becky nodded and Jenna turned to Kathy. "How's Sionis's case going?" Kathy sighed.

"The guy's managed to put every other judge in Gotham in his pocket."

"There's gotta be someone. Keep looking. Sionis' one of the main mob bosses, we take him out, we'll only have to deal with Cobblepot and Wesker, and with any luck, they'll tear each other apart," Jenna explained.

"Dawes," a voice called over and Jenna stiffened.

"Crap. I was doing it again, wasn't I?" she asked her coworkers.

"Yep," Kathy said. Jenna winced and walked over to her boss, Marion Grange, her head bowed.

"I'm so sorry Ms. Grange, I shouldn't have overstepped my boundaries."

"No you shouldn't have but thank you for apologizing. Just remember Dawes, you aren't the DA… not yet at least." Jenna glanced at her before bowing her head again.

"Thank you ma'am." Heading back to work, Kathy raised an eyebrow.

"You're alive?"

"I've survived how many psychopaths and you're amazed I survived Ms. Grange?" Kathy's eyebrow went up even further. "I know, I'm surprised too." The two chuckled together and Jenna sat down at her office space.

"How's your little 'Bat Act' going?" Kathy inquired. Jenna shrugged.

"It's alright. Jeremiah Arkham is still opposing it, says that 'Gotham needs the security Arkham Asylum provides and without it, the city's infrastructure will crumble and turn into chaos.'" Kathy frowned.

"Is he crazy?"

"Yep," Jenna stated and the Asian woman smiled. Ever since the Dent Act had been repealed, a thousand of Gotham's worst criminals had been released and let back out onto the streets, leaving the DA's office busier than it had been in almost a decade. But Jenna had been working on getting it replaced with a bill she called "The Bat Act," which would give the GCPD more free reign, stricter penalties to convicts with evidence of Mob connections, outlaw the insanity plea, and hopefully help bring down Gotham's newest incarnation of the Mob, much like the Dent Act, though the Bat Act would be far kinder in comparison. The death penalty would be outlawed, and parole would be attainable after seven years. But while Jenna was working hard to get it passed, there was still work to be done. Hours later, someone knocked on her cubicle and Jenna turned to see someone who shouldn't be in her office.

"John!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I came by to see if my girlfriend would care to join me for lunch," John said.

"John…" she started but looked at his pleading face. She sighed. "Give me five minutes and then we can get Italian over on 8th."

"The last time you said five minutes you left me waiting an hour," John reminded her.

"It was a hostage situation that turned into a police chase. I had to help out," Jenna defended. John just gave her a look. "Five minutes. Take it or leave it."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the two of them were sitting into the garden patio of 8th street's Italian joint, enjoying a plate of spaghetti.

"How's work?" John asked her and Jenna shrugged.

"Same as usual. Busy and frustrating but we're making progress. You?"

"We're thinking about doing a business venture with GothCop," Blake said and Jenna nodded.

"Well, I suppose we'll have to look into their behind the scenes dealings before we do that, won't we?" she smiled and Blake grinned.

"Sounds good to me." Jenna chuckled, taking a sip of her drink. John fidgeted slightly in his seat and Jenna raised an eyebrow expectantly. He only fidgeted when he wanted to ask her something. "So, uh… you know that boy from the orphanage I was telling you about a while back?" he asked.

"Dick Grayson?" Jenna recalled.

"Yeah."

"Yeah, what about him?" John took a deep breath.

"I'm thinking of adopting him." Jenna blinked.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I'm thinking of adopting him," John repeated. Jenna silently thought over what he said again.

"Ok. Why?" John took another breath and put down his utensils.

"Look, he's been hanging out on the wrong side of town ever since his parents were killed. Batman's had to save him from getting beaten up three times in the past two weeks. The orphanage does a lot but it can't do everything for everyone," he explained.

"So you wanna try and steer him onto the right course," Jenna stated, face passive. John observed her.

"Are you mad?" She shook her head.

"No. Just worried. And I hope you understand that by adopting him, you can't just feed him and give him money and all that. You need to put actual time and energy into raising him, otherwise, you won't be doing much good," Jenna said, pointing her fork at him. He nodded.

"Ok." Jenna looked down at her plate for a moment before smiling and looking at John again.

"And actually, I wanted to talk about a similar situation," she said and John frowned in confusion.

"What?"

"I want to adopt Cassandra Cain."

"Well, I hope you understand that by adopting her, you can't just feed her and give her money and all that. You need to put actual time and energy into raising her, otherwise, you won't be doing much good," John smirked, and Jenna slapped his shoulder with a napkin.

"Very funny," she chuckled. "But truthfully, if I don't adopt her, she's going to go through her entire childhood alone and looked down upon for being mute."

"And therefore, it's your duty to defend her, help her, and keep her safe no matter what," John explained.

"Exactly." He nodded.

"Sounds good to me." Jenna smiled and wound the last few strands of pasta around her fork. John cleared his throat.

"Well, you know we could, uh… we could…" he stuttered. Jenna looked at him expectantly.

"What?"

"Adopt them both together?" John suggested.

"Together?" Jenna repeated, thought it over for a moment, before she smiled at him. "I like the sound of that." John smiled and raised his glass.

"To hope," he toasted and Jenna joined him.

"To hope." Their glasses clinked and they drank. "And a better future for Gotham."

* * *

That night, a good number of thugs were gathered at the docks. Five trucks drove up, and a few dozen men jumped out, the Black Mask himself exiting the center one. The Mob Boss approached the apparent leader of the thugs.

"You got what I wanted?" Black Mask demanded.

"Yes sir," the man said, motioning to the crates. Black Mask opened on, nodded, and motioned for his men to begin filling the trucks. The goon fidgeted. "One question: what do you need all these chemicals for?" A gunshot rang out and the goon's body fell to the floor.

"Don't ask questions kid. It only leads to trouble," Black Mask advised, putting his gun back inside his jacket. The other thugs glanced at each other, before continuing to load the crates. With most of the ones up in front loaded, a single gangbanger headed away from the group to get the rest.

"AH!" the man screamed as he was engulfed in darkness and the group of crooks turned around wildly, looking for where he'd gone. Everyone knew what the sound of screaming hoods meant in Gotham, and everyone knew it that it was never good. Black Mask looked around.

"Looks like the Bats are here. Take care of them," he ordered the men. He motioned to the drivers, who got back in their trucks and drove off.

"He just left us here?" one of the younger goons choked. The other rolled their eyes at him.

"Welcome to Gotham kid," an older thug mocked. Another scream was heard then silenced, and the goons were getting twitchy, jumping this way and that at every creak and clunk. Suddenly, a black demon dropped out of the sky and began to destroy every goon gathered there. Their bullets seemed to go right through the creature and their blows only made it angrier. Soon all but the young thug were lying beaten on the floor, unconscious or moaning in pain.

"Where's Sionis?" the Batman growled, holding a thug up by his neck.

"Not. Here," the guy choked out and the Batman threw him down, before knocking the punk's head against the ground to make sure he stayed down.

"You've forgotten your training," a voice called, and the Batman turned to see Batgirl observing him and his handiwork. "The Mob Bosses and what they bring into the city are what's important. Not the common crooks."

"Nobody's perfect," the Batman grunted. "And if I recall correctly, your first encounter with Bane's courtroom didn't exactly go well." Batgirl narrowed her gaze at him.

"But I remembered the important part: getting the people out of there alive," Batgirl pointed out. She turned her back on him. "Come on. We might still be able to catch them," she said, flying off into the night. The Batman sighed. Just another Monday night.

* * *

There was a knock on a solid wooden door in a place not terribly far from the docks. "Lady Shiva, our partner's here," a man's gruff voice said through the door.

"Send him in," a slightly Asian accented voice said. The door opened and Black Mask walked in. He sat in the chair across the desk from the long black haired Asian woman in a red shirt, black pants, and overcoat with red lining, removing his mask to reveal the aged face of Doctor Jeremiah Arkham. "Well?" the woman asked.

"The chemicals are being stored as we speak. But the Bats intercepted us and caught some of your men," he said, using his normal one instead of his one disguised to sound like the masked mobster who ran the East End of Gotham.

"Did they realize it was you and not Mr. Sionis?" the woman inquired, her face neutral. He shook his head.

"No." Lady Shiva smiled.

"Then it is of no consequence. The men who have been captured will die before talking and now we have all the chemicals needed. We can begin," she stated, turning back to her work. Doctor Arkham cleared his throat.

"And in return for my aid, you and your powerful friends will make sure Jennifer Dawes' little "Bat Act" does not go through and my Asylum remains open," Doctor Arkham reminded her. He didn't notice how Lady Shiva's smile grew slightly more forced at that.

"Yes, of course," she assured him. She rose from her chair and moved over toward the tray of beverages on an ornate table. "Care for a drink Doctor?" she asked. He shook his head.

"I really shouldn't."

"Oh please I insist," she said, making drinks for the two of them. "To honor our partnership and its success," she asserted, holding out a drink. Dr. Arkham frowned but eventually nodded and took it.

"To the future," Lady Shiva toasted, raising her glass.

"The future," Dr. Arkham echoed, raising his own before taking a swig. Lady Shiva smirked subtly.

"And whatever it may bring," she added, taking a sip of her own.


	3. Trouble in Paradise

**A/N: Ok, cast list for new characters. Lady Shiva is played by Lucy Liu (the woman in the lower left corner of the current cover picture), Cassandra Cain is played by young Hailee Steinfeld (the girl in the upper right corner), David Cain is Harrison Ford (center lower), and Dick Grayson is played by Logan Leerman (center up). Also, I will try to have the next chapter out as soon as possible since this is a bit of a cliffhanger ending but school's evil so... can't guarantee anything.**

Trouble in Paradise

Jenna looked down at the face of the young Asian girl, holding a plate and giving her a pitiful stare worthy of Oliver Twist.

"You're still hungry?" she exclaimed. The little girl known as Cassandra Cain nodded. Jenna smiled. "Well, here you go then," she said, filling Cassandra's plate with another helping of meatloaf. The little girl smiled and bounced back to the dinner table.

"Gosh, if she keeps eating like this, we'll be making daily trips to the grocery store," John remarked, putting his arms around Jenna as they watched Cassandra began to shovel down the meal. She nodded.

"Yeah. Well something tells me that her father didn't feed her much," she reminded him, and John flinched. Jenna had found the young Asian girl being helped by another little girl named Stephanie Brown, after Cassandra's father had shot her. Jenna had helped the young girl to an emergency room after taking care of Cassandra's father David Cain, who was one of Bane's mercenaries. Unfortunately, there hadn't been any record of a man arrested under that name since the occupation had ended, meaning that he'd either left Gotham, died, or was hiding somewhere in the city. Jenna hoped it was the first, for Cassandra's sake. As she and John began washing dishes, their gazes moved to the other orphan at the table. Dick Grayson was sitting at the table, picking at his food, head bowed.

"Are you not hungry Dick?" Jenna asked him. He didn't reply.

"Maybe he wants something that he can actually eat," John teased and Jenna kicked his leg. She knew she wasn't the best cook but she was learning and tonight's batch was much better than last month's. Dick looked up from his food.

"Thanks for… well, this, but I don't need it," Dick stated. Jenna raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" she said and Dick nodded.

"I know you're trying to be nice and understanding but I don't want it and I don't need it," he told her. Jenna was about to reply when John cut her off.

"Alright then. Just know that we're here if you need anything," John said. Dick nodded, got up from the table and headed for his bedroom, closing the door behind him. Cassandra looked curiously at him again, before shrugging and digging into her food, and John hugged Jenna again.

"We just need to give him time," John said.

"I know," she replied.

* * *

"We should have a name," Bette said abruptly to Jenna. The two of them were currently at a Wayne Enterprises benefit, which Jenna had tried everyway she knew how to get out of going to, but she'd received a special invitation and plea from the host for her presence, meaning she'd had no choice. Which was why she was in a ballroom full of stuffy high class business men and their buxom blondes of the evening, though she couldn't help but wince when she thought about how there seemed to be much fewer since Bane and Talia had come to Gotham.

"What?" Jenna looked at her friend, confused.

"A name. You know, a team name," Bette clarified. Jenna looked over her energetic blonde surrogate sister in the red dress, before glancing at her newer, other blonde ally in a black dress like her, who was looking as confused as she was feeling.

"Like what?" Jenna asked.

"Ummm… oh I got it! The Birds of Prey!" Bette exclaimed.

"The Birds of Prey?" Dinah repeated, eyebrow raised.

"Yeah! Think about it: Flamebird, Huntress, Black Canary, and Batgirl!"

"But Bats aren't birds. They're mammals," Jenna reminded her. "Flying mammals but still, very different from birds. Birds have a much more rigid skeleton, Bats are far more flexible, which allows them to–" She was interrupted by Dinah taking an ordure from a passing waiter and stuffing it in her mouth.

"Thank you," Bette said.

"It had to be done," Dinah responded, and Jenna glared at her friends before swallowing.

"Very funny, but nothing short of duct tape is gonna keep me from talking." The two blondes looked at each other.

"You got any on you?" Bette inquired.

"Nope," Dinah replied.

"Darn." Jenna rolled her eyes at her friends and glanced at the man who had organized the party. Alfred Pennyworth, now the owner of Bruce Wayne's fortune and company shares, had been spending most of the past eighteen months in Italy, but had been very enthusiastic in making Wayne Enterprises the infrastructure of Gotham again. The company had been making mass donations and helping rebuild the city in every way possible, from the skyscrapers destroyed in the occupation to the water systems that had been contaminated or unreliable during the takeover.

"So have you talked to him?" Dinah questioned Jenna.

"A bit," Jenna replied. "Not very much, we've both been busy." The corners of her mouth turned up slightly. "But it's nice to see him again."

"Hello ladies! How are things?" Kathy Nelson asked as she joined the three young women.

"Doing well enough," Bette replied.

"Same," Dinah chimed.

"That's good. So where are Helena and John?" Kathy asked.

"Helena's got some work to catch up on and John's showing the kids around Wayne Tower."

"And how's playing house with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome?" Kathy teased, leading to her getting elbowed by Jenna.

"Shut up," she muttered while Dinah and Bette giggled.

* * *

"So you work here?" Dick asked, awestruck by the incredible technology in the basement of Wayne Enterprise.

"Not exactly. I work in the offices and all the boring stuff upstairs, but this is where Fox and I come to hide from the board," John explained. "But that's not what I wanted to show you." Dick came over to where his guardian stood. The older man motioned to something covered by a cloth and Dick pulled it off.

"Woah," he breathed. It was a motorcycle, sleek and black with slight red highlights. He got on and looked at the helmet, with a tag: _To Richard Grayson_. He "You're giving me this?" he asked.

"On one condition," Blake stated. Dick's shoulders slouched. "You have to stay home with Cassandra when Jenna and I've got emergencies to handle, you have to tell us where you are after ten at night, and you have to pay for its gas." Dick grimaced.

"How am I supposed to do that?" Blake shrugged.

"Wayne Enterprises offers paid internships." Dick looked at him and nodded.

"I'll look into it." Blake's mouth upturned and Dick mirrored his. A shape hanging from the rafters caught John Blake's eye and caused him to almost drop his jaw.

"Cassandra get down from there!" he shouted at his younger ward. Cassandra was hanging from the ceiling beams and smiling with absolute glee.

"I'll get her," Dick replied, and was climbing boxes and pulling himself up chains before John could protest.

"No, both of you get down," he ordered his wards.

"We're not gonna fall," Dick insisted and John sighed.

"You say that but one day you will. Besides, that's not what I'm worried about. If you two get hurt on my watch then I'm the one who has to worry about Jenna killing me for it."

* * *

As the party died down, and the guests began to leave, Jenna finally made her way over to the elderly Englishman she'd known since birth.

"Hey stranger," she greeted and Alfred Pennyworth turned to face her with a smile.

"And who might you be, Miss?" he inquired.

"Just a woman who's wondering how an old friend is doing." He smiled wider than Jenna had seen in decades.

"I've been doing splendidly thank you. And you?"

"I've been," she paused "better." He nodded. Better was about as good as you could get with a woman who has lost so much.

"As long as you're happy. And as long as _he's_ treating you well," he emphasized. Jenna chuckled.

"I think you should be more worried about what_ I_ might do to him if he doesn't," Jenna pointed out and Alfred chortled. Jenna's expression grew a little more serious. "Have you seen him?" Alfred froze, looked at her, and paused for a moment, before he finally nodded. Jenna's grin became a little forlorn. "Is he happy?" Alfred's small smile at that reminded her of one she remembered seeing on her mother, when talking about Jenna as a baby.

"More so than I have seen him in a long time," he said.

"Is he with anyone?"

"I believe he's taken up residence with a certain former jewel thief." Jenna's smile dropped. She pressed her lips together, closed her eyes, grimaced, and reopened them.

"As long as he's happy," she muttered through gritted teeth, and Alfred snickered to himself.

* * *

Dick was on top of a gargoyle on the roof of the apartment building he was currently living in. He liked Blake and Dawes well enough but he couldn't call it home because it wasn't; home was where his parents were, but now that they were gone, he'd never have another home. Never.

"Is there any reason in particular you're up here?" Dick jumped slightly but calmed when he realized it was the Batman standing next to him.

"It helps me think," he said. Most kids at the orphanage would've given anything to see the Batman in person, but to Dick, it was just another Friday night. He turned to face the Batman. "How did you find me? Keeping tabs?"

"Considering how much I've been saving you in the past few months, it'd be a waste of time to find out you went to an abusive home," the Batman stated. Dick scoffed.

"If you mean abusive in that they're trying to smother me, then yeah, I'd suppose you'd have reason to be worried. I mean, they're good people it's just…" He trailed off.

"They're not your parents," the Batman stated and Dick nodded.

"You'd know about that wouldn't you?" he said and the Batman just stared at him. He looked back out over the city. "I figured you put on that suit for the same reason I go out looking for a fight. And that's the real reason you're keeping tabs on me." He turned back to the Batman. "And I wanna help." The Batman hesitated.

"Maybe one day you will. But not now," he said. Dick turned away, sighing angrily through his nose.

"Too young for this, too old for that, why can't people see that I'm ready?" he vented, turning back to the Batman to find that the Dark Knight had vanished.

* * *

Commissioner Gordon and a blonde woman in her thirties gazed up into the night sky at the symbol of hope illuminating the darkness above.

_Knock, knock_.

The Commissioner and woman turned to find the Batman and Batgirl standing next to the Batsignal. Gordon's mouth twitched.

"Haven't seen you in a while," he remarked.

"There hasn't been much of a need," the Batman explained. "Considering all of the criminals back out on the streets now a days, things are relatively quiet."

"Calm before the storm," the blonde woman said. The two black clad vigilantes looked at her and then at Gordon.

"Oh, Batman, Batgirl, this is –"

"Lieutenant Sarah Essen, transferred from Chicago after the occupation," Batgirl promptly finished. Gordon raised an eyebrow at them.

"Are you looking into all my men now?"

"Yes," was Batgirl's blunt reply. "It's alright Commissioner, after her brush with dirty cops, any reasonable person would," Sarah Essen stated, smirking slightly at the younger, masked woman. Batgirl narrowed her eyes at the Lieutenant before turning back to Gordon.

"You told."

"She deduced it."

"And you confirmed it."

"That's not important. I won't talk unless you give me good reason to," Essen warned. Batgirl looked her over.

"And you never will."

"Ignoring that, we found a sample of what Sionis was having smuggled into the city," Gordon informed the vigilantes, handing them a file containing the analysis.

"And what was it?" the Batman inquired looking it over.

"Bacteria."

"What kind?"

"That's the problem. We don't know. It doesn't match any known disease," Essen explained.

"Well whatever this stuff is, Sionis isn't going to care who he infects it with. We'll have to find it," Batgirl said. Essen scoffed, surveying the city below.

"Good luck. We've been tracking Sionis for months and haven't found a clue to where his headquarters a–" she turned back to the two vigilantes to find only the Commissioner.

"They do that. A lot," Gordon added.

* * *

Under the newly re-inhabited Wayne Tower, a pale, bald security guard walked through the halls, nodding at another as he passed. The guard quietly entered the security control room and sprayed a light sedative over the almost asleep security guards, unconsciousness overtaking them. Making his way toward the water works, he headed for the aeration chamber, where the water was aerated before being drunk in order to remove unpleasant tastes and odors. Taking a container of liquid about the size of a thermos from his lunch box, he poured the content into the water.

"The main infiltration was successful," the man spoke into his communicator.

"Good. Everything is going as planned and no sign of the Bats thus far," Lady Shiva smiled. "I think it's time we start making sure all our loose ends are cut or tied up. Head back to base Ubu."

"Yes ma'am," Ubu signed out. Shiva hung up and sighed as she turned to the man who was disturbing her peace.

"Cain, I told you no," she reminded him.

"She's your daughter too, Shiva," David Cain said. He was a much older man, with gray hair and a lined face, in military garb. Shiva scowled at him.

"I carried and gave birth to her, nothing more."

"Regardless, I'm helping you and I want what was taken from me." Shiva sighed angrily. _This man_.

"You go after your daughter and I won't help you."

"I'm not asking you to," Cain acknowledged. Shiva looked him over and nodded.

"Very well. I will call you if I require your services again. Though I seriously doubt it," she smirked.

"Nice working with you too, _Sandra_," Cain drawled out as he left the room, barely ducking the knife Shiva threw at his head.

* * *

"So, search for one of five trucks that left the docks almost a week ago. God, I'm pretty sure there are laws against these kinds of hours and expectations," Huntress muttered to herself. Entering an abandoned warehouse near Wayne Enterprise, she scanned the room to find a truck that resembled one Sionis had used. Opening the back, she found the same containers the GCPD had discovered at the docks.

"Guys, I think I found the place. I'm at–" Huntress was cut off by getting thrown out of truck. Her communicator fell to the ground and was crushed by a boot and Huntress looked up to see the boot belonged to an Asian woman in a red shirt, gray trousers, and a black overcoat.

"I don't think so, " the woman said, kicking Huntress across the face. She rolled away, got back to her feet, and tried to knee her opponent, only for the woman to block it with her elbow. Huntress aimed another kick at her, only for the woman to this time catch it with one hand and use it to throw Huntress across the room into a shipping container. Getting right back up, the young vigilante threw punch after punch at her, only for each and every one to be blocked, and then her hands held in a grip. The smiling woman drove her elbow across Huntress' nose, breaking it, and flipped her to the ground.

"You think you're a threat to me?" the woman scoffed as Huntress' hand filled with blood.

"Lady I'm just getting warmed up," Huntress growled, throwing her blood in the woman's eyes. The woman reeled back, temporarily blinded, and Helena brought her to the ground with a sweeping kick. The woman quickly flipped herself off her back and kicked Huntress' cranium, kneed her in the stomach, and drove her elbow down onto her back. Huntress fell to her hands and knees, but refused to stay down, only to be driven against the concrete by another kick from her enemy. Huntress rolled over, lying on the cold, warehouse floor, bleeding and a good number of bones broken, the woman's boot on her throat.

"That's Lady _Shiva_ to you," she hissed at the defeated vigilante. An unexpected kick from someone else made Lady Shiva fly off of Huntress a moment later. Landing gracefully, she turned to her new opponent: Black Canary.

"What kept you?" Huntress gasped.

"Traffic," Black Canary's replied. Lady Shiva jumped right back into action, kicking Canary across the face. She stumbled backward, kept off balance by Shiva's punches to her stomach, before Shiva grabbed Canary's head and brought it down to her knee. Canary somersaulted away, regained her balance, and got into stance, though her form was slightly shaken.

"Funny. And I'd heard you were a challenge," Shiva sneered, aiming a kick at Canary's side. Canary caught her leg and threw her against a shipping container, the crash echoing across the room.

"You heard right," Black Canary stated. Shiva smirked at her foe and got right back up like it was nothing. Canary. "Huntress, cover your ears!" Black Canary called, and the wounded woman had barely covered her ears when a terrible screech echoed through the warehouse. Nicknamed, 'the Canary Cry' by the vigilantes, Lucius Fox had developed a small device that emitted high-pitched sounds used to distract and disorient foes. It was a favorite tool of Black Canary and she'd had it implanted in her earpiece, making it easily accessible. However, while Lady Shiva was clearly in pain from the terrible shriek, she was disciplined and strong enough to get back on her feet, punch Black Canary in the throat, elbow her across the face, which made the earpiece dislodge and made it easy for Lady Shiva to crush it. Another punch across the jaw and Canary fell to the ground.

"I'll admit, your abilities are impressive. Most of my opponents are dead within moments," Lady Shiva complimented, as she moved to finish the blonde woman, but she was suddenly stopped, thrown against a shipping container, and restrained by another foe.

"Well you've never fought us," a dark voice growled and Shiva smiled.

"Ah yes, the Batgirl. Supposedly the daughter of the _original_ Batman." She pushed herself off of the container and broke Batgirl's hold, flipping over the leader of the vigilantes and into open area. "You may be Gotham's protectors but you have no chance. The daughter of Ra's al Ghul will have her revenge against this city!" Lady Shiva declared. She threw a smoke bomb to the floor, and Batgirl, Black Canary, and the just arrived Flamebird dove into the cloud after her, but found nothing.

"Damnit," Black Canary cursed.

"It's fine, I got a tracker on her when I had her in the hold," Batgirl informed her colleagues. She pulled out her tracker GPS, but found that the tracker was right where they were standing. "Wait," she murmured. She felt the back of her neck and pulled off the tracker she had placed on the assassin. "She put it back on me," she realized and gave a small 'huh'. "She's good."

"Batgirl," Flamebird called, as she and Black Canary helped an extremely wounded Huntress to her feet.

"Right, sorry," she mumbled, going over to join them

"Who was that?" Flamebird asked, as they half supported, half carried Huntress.

"Lady Shiva, apparently. I'm guessing she's the one behind the shipments," Huntress groaned.

"But what was that thing about the daughter of Ra's al Ghul?" Black Canary questioned and Batgirl shook her head.

"That's not possible. She's dead."

* * *

"Oh my god, what happened?" Barbara Gordon exclaimed, as Batgirl, Black Canary, and Flamebird appeared practically carrying Huntress into the Batbunker hidden under the docks.

"Barbara, go call Leslie for Helena," Batgirl ordered and Barbara didn't argue.

"I don't need–"

"Yes you do," Batgirl interrupted Huntress's protests and pushed her down onto one of the hospital beds they kept for nights like this. As Black Canary and Flamebird started to clean the blood off of Huntress, Batgirl joined the teenage daughter of the Commissioner at the computers where Barbara helped watch over Gotham as Jenna has once done as a teenager.

"So I met Sarah Essen tonight." Barbara grunted in acknowledgement. "What's your assessment of her?" She sighed and turned her chair to face the Batgirl.

"She's a good woman. Tough, kind, smart. She'll be a good ally," she stated.

"But you don't like her," Batgirl noted.

"It's hard to like a woman who's living with me and my dad while my mom's back in Cleveland." The older woman's blank expression didn't change but she winced internally.

"I'm sorry."

"Not your fault," Barbara brushed it off. "But aside from personal resentment, I think she's a good person to have on our side."

"Good. You can take a break. I'd like a turn at the desk." Barbara nodded and headed over to the coffee machine, while Jenna sat in the chair and began searching.

"What are you doing?" Black Canary inquired.

"Looking for any abnormal activity in the city as of late. Seen anything? The most abnormal thing that's happened this week was Sionis picking up a shipment of the bacteria at the docks on Monday. He never personally oversees it," the masked woman said. Canary looked at her confused.

"Monday? That's not possible, he was across town at the Iceberg Lounge that night. I was there," Black Canary informed her. Batgirl's frown deepened.

"Something's not right," she muttered to herself. She began searching into the computer.

"So who is this Lady Shiva?" Flamebird coughed. She hadn't been feeling all that great for the past few days, probably exhaustion.

"An assassin, one of the best in the world. Formerly known as Sandra Wu-San, she made her mark less than eight years ago and is famous for her ability to read and predict people's movements and attacks. Is known to have ties with–"

"The League of Shadows," Black Canary finished. Batgirl shook her head.

"No. They can't be back," Batgirl murmured, her mind racing. "Ra's and Talia al Ghul are the only known leaders, no random assassin could get the support to take over and who else would have the motivation to carry on the league?"

"But what if–"

"No."

"Jenna–"

"No, she can't be alive, I was at her funeral and I saw her die. There are some things that you just can't fake and that was one of them," Batgirl maintained.

"The League was able to almost completely obliterate Gotham twice, I'm pretty sure Talia could find some way to fake her death," Black Canary pointed out.

"But why? She had no reason to keep on living, she thought for sure she'd succeeded. Besides, the Batman who defeated Ra's is dead, she can't hurt him anymore."

"She could just want to finish the job," Bette shrugged, coughing again. She began to wonder if she needed some decongestant or something. She hadn't been sick in years.

"It just doesn't add up," Batgirl stated. "The majority of criminals I've encountered have had a reason for what they do. What grudge would this Lady Shiva have against Gotham?"

Bette was breathing heavily now. The room was blurry and spinning, her head was foggy, and she couldn't stop coughing. She drew her hand away from her mouth and saw… red. She was coughing up blood. She swallowed, trying to clear her mouth of the metallic taste that lingered. What was wrong with her?

"I… I don't…. kno…" Bette stuttered out before she collapsed. Batgirl turned to find Bette lying on the cold concrete.

"Flamebird? Bette?" Batgirl shot out of her chair and started shaking Bette's unconscious form. "Bette what's wrong? Bette!"

* * *

Elizabeth 'Bette' Kane woke up on one of the hospital beds next to Helena, Jenna patting her head with a cold cloth, cowl off but batsuit still on. "What… what happened?" Bette breathed.

"You collapsed," Jenna answered, not looking her in the eye. Bette tried to sit up but her head started spinning and the next thing she knew, Jenna pushed a bucket under her mouth just in time to catch the wave of blood that came pouring out. When she finished, she collapsed back on the cot.

"I don't feel well," Bette moaned.

"I imagine you wouldn't," Jenna murmured, and Bette caught the hint of resignation in her voice.

"Why did I collapse?" Bette asked. Jenna acted as though she hadn't heard her. Bette grabbed Jenna's arm and forced her friend to look at her. "Why did I collapse Jenna?" Jenna closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before opening them and answering Bette.

"You've been infected with the disease we found in the containers at the docks. You're dying."


	4. Out of the Frying Pan

**A/N: Again, I'm sorry it's taken me so long, school's been evil. And to reply to Amber's review: thanks and I'm sorry that the overuse of caps lock annoys you, I'm still learning. Same for phrasing. Anyway, hoep you all enjoy this chapter and please leave a review!**

Out of the Frying Pan

"Lucius, I've sent you a sample of the disease. I need a cure ASAP," Jenna Dawes said into the microphone of headset that Barbara Gordon was currently wearing, a slightly annoyed expression on her face as her head was pulled toward her boss's mouth.

"Jenna, you _do_ realize it took me twenty four hours to synthesize an antidote for Crane's fear toxin," Lucius' voice reminded her.

"I expect the cure to be here within the next eight hours. I have faith in you Fox." Jenna hung up and let go of the mic, Barbara muttering something along the lines of "Thanks for giving me back my head." Jenna ignored her as usual and moved back across the bunker to where Black Canary was patting the forehead of a deathly pale Bette Kane with a damp washcloth. Kneeling down next to the ill blonde vigilante, she took the cloth from Dinah.

"I've notified Lucius about the disease and Doctor Thompkins is on her way over here. You'll be cured in no time Bette," Jenna assured Bette, patting her forehead with the rag. The younger blonde tried to smile but started coughing and spitting up blood, Jenna barely managing to catch the bile in the bucket. Collapsing back on the bed, the young woman shook her head, eyes glistening with tears she refused to shed.

"Ain't nothin' you can do Jenna," Bette muttered. "Ain't nothin' anyone can do." The brunette immediately took her friend's hand and forced her to look her in the eye.

"There's always something you can do," Jenna told Bette. She kissed her friend's forehead. "You just hang in there. I will save you," she vowed. Bette smiled at her friend and Jenna stood, letting Black Canary go back to her work. Suddenly feeling a little overwhelmed, Jenna put on her cowl and headed outside: the night air would clear her head and she could hopefully find more evidence at the crime scene that would help her find Shiva. However, just as she moved to leave, Barbara called from her chair at the computer, "Batgirl I got a hit!"

"What?" Batgirl shouted, hurrying over.

"A patient was submitted into Gotham General yesterday with symptoms almost identical to Bette's."

"Who?"

"Jeremiah Arkham." Batgirl's eyes narrowed.

"Alright then. Looks like I'm paying a visit to the good doctor," she said, before moving to gbring out the Batpod. "Call Blake, update him on the situation, and tell him to bring the kids here for their safety," she instructed before pausing to consider her next few words carefully. "I think it's about time they knew." Barbara nodded.

"Got it." The Batgirl quickly revved the Batpod to life, started the lift to the surface, and burst through the doors of the metal storage container, driving off into the night. Barbara quickly dialed John Blake's number and said, "Blake we've got problems."

* * *

"Alright, I'm on my way," John said, hanging up. He'd wondered when they'd have to tell the kids about their secret, though he didn't think it would be within the week they brought them home. He walked over to his youngest ward's room, opened the door, and looked up to find her hanging from the ceiling. "Cassie, we've got to go someplace, ok?" Cassandra Cain nodded, and swung down back to earth, hurrying over and standing at attention like a soldier. Blake's mouth twitched; he knew he should discourage her living so dangerously but she seemed to handle herself ok. The real problem would be what would happen if Jenna found out.

"Go get your jacket. I'll get Dick." The little girl nodded and headed for her closet, Blake shutting the door and moving to his older ward's room. Knocking and not receiving an answer, the new guardian found Dick Grayson curled up in bed.

"Dick? Dick, come on, we've gotta–" John halted and pulled the covers back to find only a bunch of pillows underneath. Moving the pillows, he found a note tucked inside.

_Gone out. Don't worry. Be back before 10. – Dick_

John sighed: of course. He looked to his side, finding the little girl looking up at him.

"I think we need to talk to him, don't you?" Cassie smiled and nodded. Blake opened her arms and she leaped up into them, settling herself on his hip. He walked out into the living room, but was suddenly hit from behind. He stumbled forward, taking care not to drop the little girl in his arms, before turning to face his attacker.

"So, you're they guy who thinks he's good enough to care for my daughter," an older man scoffed, gun on his hip and a knife at his thigh.

"And I suppose you're the excuse of what she has for a father," John shot back, pushing Cassandra gently toward the kitchen for her safety.

"At least I was there for her," he countered, watching his daughter take cover behind the counter.

"Is that what you call her leaving her wounded and out in the cold to die?"

"That was teaching her a lesson."

"Well I suggest you go before I teach you one too," Blake threatened and David Cain pulled out his gun. The younger dark haired man quickly grabbed the gun and pointed it at the ceiling, directing the fire away. He then yanked the gun away from his opponent and elbowed him across the face, before kicking him back. Cocking the gun, Blake aimed it at the older man lying on the floor in a heap. Cain smirked.

"Killing me in front of my daughter who you want to be yours; excellent way to set an example for her," he remarked. Blake hesitated for a second and that was all the older man needed to get to his feet, retake the gun, and push the younger man to the floor, Cain leveling the gun. CRASH! A wine bottle flew through the air and shattered against the skull of the man with the gun, causing him to stumble and giving John the chance to push the weapon away and slam Cain's head against the wall, knocking him unconscious. Blake then glanced over into the kitchen to see Cassie was out of her hiding place and holding another wine bottle, scowling at her father with pure loathing, an expression that looked truly unsettling on a girl so young. After removing the clip from the gun and throwing it away, John quickly got out a pair of handcuffs and secured them, one on the unconscious man's wrist and one on the radiator. Someone had heard the shots fired and had probably called the police already, so all he had to do was make sure that Cain was still here when they did.

"Come on Cassie, let's go," John said, and the little girl spared her birth father one last disgusted glance before leaping into her real father's arms and letting him carry her to safety.

* * *

Doctor Jeremiah Arkham was lying in bed, attached to numerous breathing apparatuses and various other machines. The doctors didn't know what was wrong with him and chances were, by the time they figured it out, he'd be long gone. The doctor let out a particularly heavy breath; this was what happened when you mixed with the scum that should be locked up in his asylum. He stiffened in realization. _His_ asylum: if he died here, it'd go to someone like that damn Hugo Strange or someone else just as underserving. Arkham Asylum had been in his family since its creation, and would remain that way as long as there was an Arkham living in Gotham. A shadow suddenly spread across his bed and the doctor looked up to see the figure that the darkness stemmed from.

"You," he gasped.

"Me," Batgirl echoed, stepping further into the light. Arkham started to struggle but collapsed almost immediately. "No need to get up on my account Dr. Arkham. I'm not going to hurt if you cooperate," the Batgirl informed him. She looked him over. "You're dying, and there are other people, _good_ people, who are dying from the disease that's killing you. You don't have much time left and I can't help you unless you tell me where Shiva is and why she wants to destroy Gotham." Doctor Arkham considered his options as the moment, and decided that he had a better chance of surviving if he talked.

"To…to finish… what was started," he breathed. The shadowy figure's frown deepened.

"But why would Shiva want to finish the League of Shadows' work?" she pressed.  
"D… d… daughter," he choked out before seizing up and collapsing on the bed, the machines buzzing and beeping with alarm at his passing. Batgirl closed her eyes and sighed slightly. It never got any easier. Making her way to the window, she leaped out and flew off into the night.

* * *

Two men with olive skin and greasy black hair stood outside the Catscratch club, smoking a few cigarettes as they waited for their coworker to arrive. "Heard anything about Jones lately?" one asked out of interest. News about the underworld was easy to get when you knew who to go to. The other shrugged.

"Not much. Last I heard he was hiding in the sewers." The other grimaced and then chuckled darkly.

"I'll be sure to avoid manholes then." The other laughed. "What about Zucco then?" At that, the nearby streetlight blew, a rock falling to the ground beneath it. The two immediately drew their guns, knowing that darkness was never a good thing for criminals in this town. Monsters thrived in the dark and even cold-blooded killers feared monsters; Especially the ones that live in Gotham. Moving toward the end of the alleyway, they did not see the figure behind them. One went down as a rock the size of a tennis ball hit the back of his head. The other jumped, turning180 degrees midair, only for his gun to be kicked to the side. He was thrown against the wall, a club pressed to his neck, and discovered his attacker to be a teenage boy with black hair and cold yet burning blue eyes, dressed in a black leather jacket and pants with a blue shirt underneath.

"What do you know about the deaths of John and Mary Grayson of Haly's Circus?" Dick Grayson interrogated. The boy was cut off the butt of a pistol hitting him around the head, knocking him to the ground. The new man who the other two had been waiting for him then began to attack the young man, kicking and beating him into near unconsciousness.

"Shouldn't you be home kid?" the man taunted as he cocked his gun. People in Gotham were getting brave again, too brave for criminals' liking. Time to start spreading fear again. A new shadow then covered the two criminals, before engulfing them. Dick Grayson squinted at the figure that leaped on and quickly. "Word to the wise: leave kids alone in Gotham… or I will find you." With that, he knocked the man unconscious, gathered the inanimate teenager, and carried him to the nearby Tumbler.

* * *

Bright white light: that was the first thing Dick Grayson saw when he opened his eyes. At first he thought he could be dead, but if that were the case, his parents would be there. But as the world started to focus and he saw the outlines of a man and a woman, he began to hope. But then the figures came into complete focus, and were revealed to be an old woman speaking with the Batman.

"He took quite a hit to the head but he doesn't have a concussion. He may be little disoriented when he wakes up but he should be fine," she informed the Batman. He nodded.

"Thank you Doctor," he said and she left. Dick settled back on the cot and pretended to still be asleep, but stopped when the Batman remarked, "I know you're awake." Dick sat up and looked at the Batman, expecting him to continue. The Batman then came closer. "That was just plain reckless and irresponsible you know," he stated and the teenager rolled his eyes. He had enough people trying to be his parents, didn't need one more.

"I was following a lead on my parents killer. I couldn't pass it up," Dick argued.

"Yes, but charging in, guns ablaze, without any protection or back up whatsoever is the easiest way to get yourself killed."

"Why do you care so much about me anyway?" he asked, frustrated. "I know my parents were killed but why me especially?" The Batman turned his back on the boy, and removed his cowl to reveal short black hair. Dick's eyes widened and his jaw dropped as the Batman turned.

"Dick… We need to have a little chat," John Blake stated.

* * *

"You're Batman… you… you're the Batman. You're the f–" Dick started but stopped at his guardian's raised eyebrow. "Freaking," he corrected himself. "You're the freaking Batman!"

"Yes," John replied. Dick ran a hand through his hair.

"So, would that make Jenna–"

"Batgirl."

"Wow," he breathed. He looked around at the cement ceiling. "Where is she now?" Blake opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by his communicator vibrating.

"That's probably her now," he told Dick, opening the channel. "Batman here."

"Batman, I'm at Wayne Enterprises. Someone's tampered with the water works. I've shut down the system but–" The transmission was cut off and the conversation ended.

"Batgirl?" Batman asked. No answer. He quickly put his radio in his belt and headed for the Tumbler. "I need to go help her," he told Black Canary, who nodded as he passed.

"Alright, then let's go!" Dick exclaimed, shooting up from his bed and following him.

"No, you are staying right here, out of the crossfire," Batman ordered.

"What? But–"

"I told you I'd let you have freedom if you took on certain responsibilities, like watching Cassandra in emergencies," the Batman reminded his ward, passing the little Asian girl who was climbing some gymnastics beams and bars with ease. "Not to mention how you abused my trust in you by sneaking out."

"I'm sorry, I had a lead on my parents' killer," he tried to explain but the Batman just closed the Tumbler's hatch on him and drove out into the night. Dick made a noise of exasperation. "Why won't he let me help? I could help if he'd just let me," he argued aloud.

"Sorry to butt in Dick, but I think that's the point," Bette called out from her cot. Dick turned to her and she smiled morosely, as though remembering a good memory long past. "They're never going to _let_ you," she stated. He looked at her and she gave him a knowing wink. Looking at the bulletproof vests and other various gadgets and tools left lying about, Dick turned to Cassandra Cain, who was looking up at him, smiling with glee as though she'd just landed in Candyland. He kneeled down and looked his 'little sister' in the eye.

"Cassie, do you want to help me with a little arts and crafts project?"

* * *

Batgirl was thrown against the wall by her attacker again, her communicator smashed to pieces on the ground. She rolled to the side to avoid Lady Shiva's kick to her diaphragm, and retaliated with a punch thrown toward the Asian woman's head. The woman caught the punch and kneed Batgirl in the gut. Batgirl swung around to attack the woman but found that she had vanished.

"Well, looks like the Batgirl isn't quite the opponent I was hoping for. Too bad. I could've used a challenge," Lady Shiva's voice taunted, echoing throughout the room. _Theatricality and deception_, Batgirl noted. _Even if this woman doesn't have League of Shadows training, she has skill and experience. _Looking around the room, Batgirl threw small explosive devices (similar to the ones the Batman had used in Hong Kong during the extraction of Lau) at walls and pipes, where they stuck, awaiting detonation. Once the charges were in place, the Batgirl closed her eyes, listening to clanging of pipes and the running of water around her, searching the sounds for abnormalities that would reveal her hidden foe. Sure enough, she could hear the faintest step of combat boots against the concrete floor from behind her and quickly dodged Lady Shiva's powerful high kick that would've most likely knocked her unconscious had it hit its mark. But Shiva quickly retaliated with an elbow across the face and another high kick that almost broke the faux redhead's jaw. Batgirl fell to the ground and her opponent restrained her arms, rendering her almost completely immobile.

"Nice try Batgirl. But that's all it was: an attempt. It'll take more than a little girl playing dress up to take me down," Lady Shiva mocked, taking a knife from her belt and moving it toward her enemy's throat. She didn't notice the detonator in Batgirl's hand until she'd pressed it. The wall behind Shiva exploded, as did many other pipes and walls around them, sending chunks of rubble, metal, and steam everywhere. A particularly large pipe hit the back of Shiva's head, disorienting her and making her loosen her grip on the younger woman. The Batgirl quickly pushed her off and slammed Shiva's head against the wall, knocking her almost completely unconscious. Straightening up, the young vigilante handcuffed the woman and turned to her partner, who had just come out of the shadows.

"Looks like you've got it all handled," the Batman noted, and the Batgirl gave him a pointed glare.

"Did you ever think I didn't?" she inquired and he didn't reply. Rolling her eyes slightly at him, she dragged a dazed Shiva to her feet. "You're coming with us, Lady Shiva."


End file.
